This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 8841/1998, filed Mar. 16, 1998, in the Korean Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video recording and reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of interfacing an analog video camcorder and a personal computer with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
A video camcorder is a representative of portable imaging devices. Such a video camcorder has the function of a general video camera for imaging an object as well as the function of a video recorder for recording the image of the object. Using such a video camcorder, the user images a desired object and then records the image of the object onto a recording medium. The user can subsequently view the image recorded on the recording medium by reproducing that image. The recorded object image may be displayed through a view finder or liquid crystal display window mounted to the video camcorder or an external display device such as a television.
Video camcorders are mainly classified into those of the analog type, in which video recording and reproduction are processed in an analog regime, and those of the digital type, in which video recording and reproduction are processed in a digital regime. Digital video camcorders can interface with a personal computer via a personal computer interface unit such as an RS-232C interface chip (for example, Model No. SVC-9701 manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) for digital video camcorders. However, analog video camcorders can not interface with any personal computer because they have a format incompatible with personal computer interface units used for digital video camcorders to interface with a personal computer.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for and a method of interfacing an analog video camcorder and a personal computer with each other.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for and a method of allowing a personal computer to process a still image obtained by a portable analog imaging device.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The above and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an apparatus for interfacing an analog video camcorder and a personal computer with each other, including means for providing clock signals and control signals to be used for the analog video camcorder; a horizontal synchronous signal delay unit to delay a horizontal synchronous signal, which is one of the control signals, in such a fashion that a video picture output from the analog video camcorder is to be displayed on a monitor of the personal computer while being included, as much as possible, in a screen region defined on the monitor; and an interface unit having a function to interface the personal computer to a digital video camcorder, the interface unit performing an interfacing operation for the video picture output from the analog video camcorder in response to the delayed horizontal signal and the remainder of the control signals.
The above and other objects of the present invention are further achieved by providing a method of interfacing an analog video camcorder and a personal computer with each other, including the steps of providing clock signals and control signals to be used for the analog video camcorder; delaying a horizontal synchronous signal, which is one of the control signals, in such a fashion that a video picture output from the analog video camcorder is to be displayed on a monitor of the personal computer while being included, as much as possible, in a screen region defined on the monitor; and performing an interfacing process for the video picture output from the analog video camcorder in response to the delayed horizontal signal and the remainder of the control signals, thereby outputting the video picture to the personal computer.